Horseshoe.



PATBNTED APR. 3,1906.

I. SWIGERT.

HORSESHOE.

APPLIOATION FILED IEB.17,1906.

Witmoou M suffice for all.

UNITED @TTFfi rn'rii'r enrich.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1 906.

Application filed February 17,1906. Serial No. 801,613.

To all 1071,0111, it 'nuty concern:

' Be it known that 1, JOHN Swrennr, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Ross moyne, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Horseshoes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in horseshoes wherein the toe and calk are arranged for ready connection with and disconnection from the shoe.

The main object of the present invention resides in a horseshoe constructed and arranged to permit the ready insertion or disconnection of the toe and calks therefrom without removing the shoe from the hoof, whereby dull calks may be quickly and readily replaced by sharpened calks and the horse practically reshod with a minimum of labor.

The invention will be described in the following specification, reference being had. particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a horseshoe constructed in accordance with my invention, the toe and. calks being shown in place. Fig. 2 is a broken perspective of a portion of the shoe, showing a calk-socket. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the calks.

Referring to the drawings, my improved shoe 1 is of any usual or preferred construction desired, except that at the point occupied by the usual toe and calks the shoe is provided with sockets 2. These sockets are identical in construction, except that the toe socket is of greater length than the calksocket, and a detailed description of one will The sockets are formed integral with the shoe-body and offset from the plane of the lower surface thereof. Each socket is formed with a slot 3, extending lengthwise the socket-that is, transverse the shoe-which slot is dovetailed in crosssection and extends the full height of the socket, so that the shoe-body forms the upper wall thereof, and the socket is, in effect, two walls 4 and 5., spaced apart. The ends of the socket next the side edges of the shoe are formed with transversely-arranged undercut grooves 6 and. 7, extending from the edges of the sockets inward the desired distance, the lower surface of the shoe forming the upper wall of the groove. The grooves are less in height than the height of the socket, whereby to provide projections 8 of the desired thickness forming the lower wall of the grooves.

The sockets thus provided are divided by a slot extending the full height of the socket and are undercut at the ends to provide grooves extending longitudinally of the shoe or transverse the socket-piece.

The toe-piece 9 and calks 10 are also identical in construction, except that said toepiece is of greater length. than the calks. Each comprises a strip of material, preferably of hardened steel of a size at the upper end to snugly fit between the shoulders 41 and 5 of the respective socket-piece, the sides of the calk being inclined to snugly lit the walls .of the slot 3. ii The calk is of a length to depend below the lower surface of the socket and is sharpened at its lower edge, as at 11, to provide the engaging edge necessary in d evices of this character. Adjacent one side edge of the calk and coextensive with the upper edge thereof I provide oppositely-extend ing lugs 12 in alinelnent transverse of the calk and of a size to snugly lit within the grooves 6 and 7 of the socket-piece, said lugs being preferably so positioned that when the upper edge of the calk rests against the upper wall of the slot 3 the groove 6 on opposite sides of said slot will be completely occupied by said lugs, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Near the opposite side edge of the calk and in transverse alinement with the plane of the lugs 12 I arrange an opening 13, designed when the calk is in place to register with the groove in the socket-piece opposing the groove occupied by the lugs 12.

In use the toe or calk is inserted in the slot 3 of the respective socket-pieces, being driven therein until the lugs 12 are positioned within the groove at one end of the sockeapiece, as 6. In this position the opening 13 registers with the groove at the opposite end of the socket-piece, as 7, and to secure the calk within the socket-piece I insert a split key 14 through the opening 13 in the calk and spread the ends thereof to prevent accidental withdrawal. The body of the key will lie within the groove 7, where it is protected against injury or such pressure would tend to its/accidental displacement. It is obvious that by the removal of the split key either calk or toe piece may be readily removed from the socket andv sharpened for displacement or a new toe or calk piece inserted, as may be desired. The split key prevents lateral movement of the calk in one direction, while the lugs 12 revent a similar movement in the opposite cirection, said lugs, as well as the inclined formation of the slot 3, serving to pre vent an independent downward movement of the calk.

Owing to the snug fit of the parts described, it is obvious that the toe or calk when in place is practically a fixed part of the shoe Without liability of such independent movement as would tend to break or loosen said toe-piece or calk.

The socket-pieces while preferably integral with the shoe proper may be separately formed and welded in place, as desired, whereby the invention is readily adapted to the ordinary form of shoes now in use.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A horseshoe comprising a body provided with a socket-piece depending therefrom, said socket-piece being formed with a slot extending longitudinally thereof, and grooves extending transversely thereof, in combination with a fork having a body to fit the slot in the socket-piece and with a projecting lug to fit the groove in the socketplece.

2. A horseshoe com rising a body formed with a depending soc ret-piece, said socketpiece being formed with a dovetailed slot extending transversely thereof, and with end grooves extending longitudinally thereof and communicating with the slot, in combination with a calk having a body to fit within the slot in the socket-piece and formed with oppositely-projecting lugs to engage the groove at one end of the socket-piece, said calk being formed with an opening to register with the remaining groove in the socket-piece.

3. A horseshoe com rising a body formed with a depending soc iet-piece, said socketpiece being formed with a dovetailed slot extending transversely thereof, and with end grooves extending longitudinally thereof and communicating with the slot, in combination with a call; having a body to fit within the slot in the socket-piece and formed with oppositelyprojecting lugs to engage the groove at one end of the socket-piece, said calk being formed with an opening to register with the remaining groove in the socket-piece, and a split key to engage said opening and rest within the registering groove.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN SWIGERT.

i/Vitnesses F. H. REPPERT, GEO. W. TODD. 

